Vino Roso Per Uno

Here we are again the time of the year some of us dread, while others love to love. Valentines day is tomorrow and I know there's plenty of us out there who will be spending it alone or unhappy. Let's be honest here, not everyone has someone they can gush about to friends and family, or some of us don't want to have anyone at the moment because, well we want to be selfish and care for ourselves. This post is dedicated to those people those of us who are being selfish at the moment and are worried about ourselves more than a holiday that gives people an excuse to make others feel a little bitter.

I honestly cannot count myself in that group of people who are bitter at this time of the year, it's not who I am, although I was in that position a year or two ago I am now nowhere near feeling that way. Valentines day this year is a happy one for me, and what do I  mean exactly by that? I am happy with myself, this past year I had a lot of alone time to work on myself, be more independent, I love me and the woman I am becoming. Although I have reason to celebrate valentines day I am instead choosing to have that mind space to celebrate self love. We all feel that this is a day to celebrate someone else in our lives, and although there's nothing wrong with that I feel it is very important for us to remember that love begins with us, and we should nurture that in some way. Whether you're spending this Valentines day alone or in good company enjoy a drink or three and remember that in order to be happy you must love yourself first. So to you in advance I say Happy Valentines Day.

5 Favorite Sweaters To Have This Winter

 Cyrus Ribbed Cowl Neck Sweater

I love this sweater because of the neckline, and that you can layer a dress under it or wear it half tucked into a pair of trousers, or jeans like pictured above.
 

Any minute now the Houston weather will go from hot to cold and back, to permanently cold for at least a good month or two which means you're going to have to bundle up for good. So I've listed below a few of my favorite sweaters all under $40 to keep you warm this winter.

                                                      Express Cowl Neck Sweater

This sweater just looks so so cozy, and although it comes in white I love this mauve color so much, gives a different vibe to the sweater. 

                                                        Express Cowl Neck Sweater

This sparkly number has got to be my favorite. The sleeves give you enough room to move comfortably and I absolutely love the loose turtle neck look.

                                                 Cable & Gauge Cowl Neck Sweater

 This off the shoulder look is a classic, in white perfect for all the holiday parties coming up this month. 

                                                        Project Social Cold Shoulder Sweater

This off the shoulder sweater gives a vavavoom you cant ignore. I love this look for those cold days when it's not too cold to bundle all the way up.

All these sweaters are ALL under $40 and are sure to keep you warm and in style all winter long. 

                                                                     xx -Steph

Clouds At Last ; Urban Outfitters Dress

Ever search for that perfect dress that makes you feel good every time you wear it without fail? I found that in this dreamy flowing bell sleeve dress from Urban Outfitters. When I got this dress it wasn't on sale, but after trying it on I just couldn't leave without it, it fit like a glove.

I took this dress with me to New York and got so many compliments when I wore it on one of my last days there. And although it can ideally be worn as a dress I'd go so far as to say that you can even wear it with pants and half tuck it orrr that you can hide the bottom under a skirt maybe? It would have to be tested (lol).

I just love the boho feel of the dress overall and my photographer really caught that vibe.

 You can shop my exact dress HERE I've linked similar dresses Here  Here and Here .

xx -Steph 

ATM Collection FW16

 This past Friday I got to interview designer Anthony Thomas Melillo at Neiman Marcus and have a luncheon while models strutted in his favorite pieces for fall, many which can be easily worn in the cold winter months. ATM Collection is about taking basic everyday pieces like your favorite t-shirt, terry sweats, and your favorite cardigan and making it as comfortable and wearable as possible, the fabric will make you fall in love with every piece. Check out our interview below, and some pieces from the collection. 

Anthony takes pride in having the best fabric (which is light as air BTW) Melillo owns the machines that produce his fabric in Peru, making unique to his brand, something other designers won't have. A short and honest overall thought on this collection is.. It was chic, elegant, and very comfortable.

What was the inspiration behind the fall collection?

ATM: What we see each season is that more about our brand aesthetic, we look for inspiration in fabric, to have the fit, the feel and the relaxed elegance. The drape of the fabric is important, maybe we'll add a cargo pocket to a great shirt dress, etc.

I love the brown suede dress I saw, are there any more like it in the collection?

ATM: I wouldn't say we've done this exact dress more than once, it's an easy dress. We'll do different versions maybe in silk, in washed jersey, in the spring collection I know there's one in pique,  The dress might be snug around the chest but gives you room around the hips and the waist. Dresses are  fashion pieces so, the fabrication changes every season, but the silhouette remains.

What can we expect for the spring collection?

ATM: For spring we developed more into fabrics, we did a group of sun bleached jerseys, sweats and t-shirts, washed silk. We also did micro modal rip, which is throughout the whole collection in tops, dresses, and skirts. Bodysuits are one of the big pieces coming for spring for us since we had really good feedback.

I love how easy going the pieces are.

ATM: We pride ourselves in our easy going color palette, but you know people fall in love with the fabric and the ease of it, people buy multiples at a time, because of how light and soft the fabric is. We always will go for softer fabrics than we had the previous season, the fabrics are really important in the way they feel when you pick it up and wear it.

Comfort & Style

I grew up around, seamstresses, tailors, artisans, you name it. Art and fashion were a big part of my daily life, specially on take your kid to work day, when my  mom would take me with her to meet all these wonderful people she worked with daily. 

So in getting dressed to get some work downtown. I decided to follow a rule that is always very present when I get dressed. " Don't sacrifice comfort for style." This is something my grandmother used to always tell me

Houston has been unbearably hot as of like ... all Summer long, and we don't get fall around here. When I got dressed Saturday I decided to be as comfortable as possible. This is how this outfit as simple as it looks to my surprise walking down the street I got a lot of questions about the skirt and the hat. Saturday was in the hundreds here so this was definitely the right move, jeans would have been a bad choice after a few hours of running around in the heat.

Thank god after a little while I got to sit down in the A/C inside of Tout Suite and grab an iced coffee.

Feeling Green

 It is Thursday, and I could not be happier. Tomorrow is Good Friday which for the greater majority of us means no work. This morning has been rough, here in Houston it thundered and rained like crazy all night which means that I was in a deep snooze.

Needless to say I didn't so much as hear any alarm ring and was a few minutes late to work. Since it is spring I am all about bright and inviting colors as always, so since it has been rainy and gloomy all day I decided to make a pick me up green smoothie. This little guy is made with love and is all organic. Here are the ingredients that are sure not to only give you a boost, but also are a much better choice than soda, and I might argue sometimes coffee (gotta have my Starbucks). But without further ado:

One green apple- organic (got all at Whole Foods)

Four strawberries

Chia seeds

Half of a Kiwi

Three Blueberries

A handful of Spinach

Blend and Enjoy!

                                xx -Steph

Denim Obsessed

Denim... How can I begin to describe denim? 

Ever since I can recall I've always had this need to have a good pair of jeans in my closet, when my mom would take me shopping first thing I always went for was the jean section. I am a firm believer that price doesn’t always amount to quality of manufacturing. 

 I recall a few years back I went jean shopping at this random vintage/ self producing denim store near my house which is now sadly gone due to other businesses thriving more where they were formerly located I suppose. My longest worn jeans were from this store, I owned two pairs.  

They were well made, dark wash and very versatile when it came to pairing ,as almost all denim is. $20 Bought me two of my favorite pair of jeans I have ever owned, and now that they finally gave up on me (after 5 years) I am on the hunt for a new denim love.  

Nevertheless this taught me that I didn’t always have to go for super pricey denim like I was used to, but that as long as I knew the feel, fit, and stitching was good  I could find a good trusty pair.  I have linked some of my favorite budget friendly as well as brands worth splurging on below! 

Wallet Friendly:   $50- $100

 Levi's 

Unbranded

Zara

Gap

Mid Range: $100 - $175

Levi's Vintage Clothing

Marc By Marc Jacobs

High Priced $200+

Seven For All Man Kind

Citizens Of Humanity

Rag & Bone

Feeling Blue

The weather has officially begun to cool down, just not enough to forego wearing ripped jeans, dresses, or showing off a little leg here and there. I love comfort and with the cold weather this dayI had to pair this outfit with my favorite Steve Madden Espadrilles. My dress is from Romwe I love this dress because it is off the shoulder and can be worn in many different ways such as a blouse (look here)

Dress: Romwe Similar

Steve Madden Espadrilles

Clutch : Nine West (oldie but goodie)

Zara Dress

I finally got a chance to catch up on outfit posting. This new app I found for scheduling my time seems to be working so far, time well divided between things I need to do is has been a struggle (tbh).

Its been almost a month since I started to wear my hair curly and although I lack ideas to making hairstyles I am managing just fine :) It has started to cool down pretty much every night/morning here in Houston and although I am not confident it will remain that way for long at least I get to wear things such as my new favorite Zara Sateen Tunic. The moment I saw it in the store I knew it had to come home with me, and the buttons allow you to wear it as a cardigan of sorts like I wore it. I've worn it day and night already and have gotten lots of "where did you get that?" ;)

I've linked what I am wearing below!

 xx-Steph